Improved seat and back for chairs



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

H. T. PRATT, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEDSEAT AND BACK FOR CHAI'RS.

Specilicatiou forming part of` Letters Patent No. 36,026, dated July 29, 1862.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, H. T. PRATT, of Fitchburg, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Seats aud Backs for Chairs, Snc.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal verti cal section of the same, the line :v x, Fig. 1, indicating the plane of section.

Similar letters of reference in both views indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to producea cheap, co`nvenient,durable, and elastic seat and back for chairs, settees, ne., entirely out of wood; and the invention consists in the employment or use of a thin sheet of Wood provided with a number of longitudinal slots and secured to the frame of the seat or back of a chair or other similar article in such a Inanner that by said sheet of wood aseries of elastic slats are formed, which extend across the frame and which form a cheap, durable, and

convenient seat or back.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my'invention, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.

The vframe A of my seat is constructed in the usual manner, and its shape is altered to suit the article for which it is to be used and the taste and convenience of the public. This frame is covered by a thin sheet, B, of wood, which is glued on it or fastened to it in any other convenient manner. This sheet is provided with a number of slots, a, cut out so that a series of thin narrow slats, b, are formed, which extend across the open 'space inclosed by the frame A. Each of these slats is elastic, and when a weight is placed on them they sink down and support the same, and as soon as the weight is taken oif they spring back to their original position.

It is obvious that a single thin narrow slat would not be capable of supporting the weight of the human body; but the weight is divided over a number of them, audvthey are, therefore, not liable to break. Besides this, it is the tensile strength of each slat which comes into play--that is to say, in order to break one of said slats the fibers of the wood would have to be torn asunder-and 'for this reason the sheet B can be taken very thin without rendering the slats b too weak for a seat.

It is obvious that my invention is equally applicable to the seats and also to the backs of chairs or settees or other similar articles, and by its usea very light, cheap, durable, and convenient article is produced.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The employment or use of a thin sheet, B, of wood provided with narrow slots a, in combination with the frame of a seat or back of a chair or other similar article, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

H. T. PRATT.

Witnesses:

W. J. MERRTAM, DANIEL Cnoss. 

